Best Family Day Ever
by robert3A-SN
Summary: It's Family Day again at Greendale, and Annie is once more all alone with no family to visit her. Yet she does get comfort from talking to a older woman - despite being unaware that she's really Jeff's mother.


**The concept of Greendale Family Day was taken from Episode 1:18 "Basic Genealogy" and isn't mine, just like Community itself.**

Once again it was Family Day at Greendale, as it was every early March. And once again, Annie was expecting no family members to come see her. Given that those who were once her closest family members still wanted nothing to do with her since rehab, and those that she still talked to weren't able to come by, she had no reason to be surprised or sadder than usual.

But Annie had gone through three straight years of being alone on Family Day, while being reminded that most of her best friends did still have some form of family. And seeing the trouble their family got them in each year didn't make Annie feel that much better about being alone. She kept telling herself that it shouldn't matter, since the study group was her family now and they haven't abandoned her like her parents did – at least not yet. However, Annie felt like being upset about her lack of a regular family today anyway.

As such, Annie didn't feel like having it rubbed in her face quite yet this morning. While her friends and other students were waiting for their families inside the school, Annie was standing around outside with her sad thoughts. But she soon wanted to sit with her sad thoughts instead, so she found a bench to park herself on. After a few more minutes, she figured she'd get up and be ready to go through the lonely Family Day motions again.

Annie didn't want to break down over it in front of the group, since the likes of Jeff and Pierce and Britta were fine without having family over – or at least reputable family. At the least, Annie had checked to make sure that Pierce's step daughter wasn't coming back this year – her scheming and her….connections with Jeff were the last things Annie needed to deal with today. So all she had to worry about was loneliness and not illogically breaking down over it.

But as logical as she was and as much as she could never forgive her parents, Annie still missed having a mom and a dad on days like this. And with that, she felt a few tears coming down, yet at least she wasn't full on crying this time.

Once she knew she was fairly under control, Annie was able to wipe her eyes and start looking around campus. The first thing she saw was an older woman coming towards her bench, as it turned out. "Is this bench taken?" the seemingly mid-50's woman with slightly tousled brown hair and blue eyes asked her.

"No, no, it's okay, sit right down," Annie said, a bit thrown off now that she wasn't lost in her own thoughts. Once the woman sat down, Annie nearly went back into self-pity mode, only to realize she couldn't get lost again yet. "Are you waiting for a….family member to sit with you?" Annie inquired, resisting the urge to guess if she was waiting for a son, daughter, brother, sister, grandson or daughter – or if she was Leonard's sister or daughter, as creepy as that thought was. "If you are, I can get out of your way, ma'am."

"That's not necessary, I'm not expecting anyone to meet me here," the woman assured Annie. "In fact, my son is probably waiting for me in there. But this is the first Greendale Family Day he ever invited me to….or told me about….so I'm a little nervous."

"Really?" Annie asked with more of a tone than she probably had a right to, since this wasn't her business. However, after lamenting how her parents wanted nothing to do with her, hearing about a son who didn't want his mother here until now was more annoying to her. She didn't know if it was because this woman was a bad mother – yet Annie wanted to know at least one good mother today. So she turned her outrage towards a son she didn't know about.

"So you're paying him back by keeping him waiting, huh? That sounds like the least he deserves! I mean, some parents never want to see their kids anywhere, and he's turning away a parent that does? Leaving him hanging is the least you can do to that kind of ass!" Annie proclaimed until she realized the rant got away from her. "Um…..not that I'm the one here with a right to call him an ass. I'm, I'm sorry for thinking otherwise, ma'am."

The woman actually laughed, but not for the reasons that Annie feared. While she told the truth in saying that her son was waiting inside for her – she neglected to tell Annie that the "ass" she just ranted against was Jeff Winger himself.

Or that the woman Annie was talking to was Doreen Winger, mother of Jeff Winger himself. But Doreen didn't want to let Annie know about that now.

Jeff _was _probably still waiting for her to show up – yet like Annie said, he could afford to wait after not telling her about Greendale Family Day for two years; among other things. Besides, once Doreen recognized who was sitting at this bench, she knew she couldn't pass up having a few anonymous words with her. However, she figured she should defend Jeff before Annie unknowingly trashed him even more.

"It's quite all right, young lady," Doreen finally answered Annie, matching her admirable politeness. "My son is a handful at times, but he is getting better. Apparently he switched therapists after Christmas and it's been working quite well for him. So much so that he started opening up to me about this place and how they have family days. It took almost three years for him to let me come here, but better late than never, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. At least he finally wanted you around, it's….it's something that he could change his mind like that," Annie conceded, starting to pity herself again. "I mean, I-" However, Annie didn't get too far gone to forget her manners again. "Never mind, I shouldn't bother you with my problems. I mean, you're going to finally spend Family Day with your son! That's much better to think about than some whining stranger who called him an ass."

"I suppose, but it's not _that _much better. It sounds like we need something to keep us busy...and maybe I'll feel better about my problems as a nice side-effect. It couldn't hurt to find out, really," Doreen offered. Annie wasn't completely reassured that it wouldn't hurt her to talk about it, but she'd probably built it up too much to back out now. Besides, although this woman didn't look like an ideal shoulder to cry on at first glance, Annie oddly felt a little safe confiding in her.

"My parents aren't really like your son yet, other than the ass part. My dad left years ago, my mom stood by while I got fat and unpopular and addicted to pills in high school, and both of them cut me off when I wanted to go to rehab. It was the best thing I ever did and I've been growing as a person and an adult ever since, but I still miss having a real family sometimes….like today for instance," Annie rued again. "And I don't think they'll have a change of heart in the end like your son did."

Now that Jeff was starting to open up about Greendale and all his friends, Doreen already knew Annie's back story very well. Yet hearing about it from Annie herself was different than getting it from Jeff – and was certainly a bit sadder from her. "I'm very sorry to hear that," was all Doreen had to say for the moment.

"Thank you," Annie exclaimed. "I know it's stupid to miss people who cut me off and didn't really love me. I just can't help it sometimes. It's like….this friend I have who misses his rotten father, even though he walked out on him over 20 years ago. He sounds better off without him too, but I know it hurts him more than he wants to admit….I've seen that in a couple of pretty dark ways. It's really unfair that he has to feel that way, just like it is for me."

Even though she was talking to a stranger, Annie still felt too uncomfortable to use Jeff's name – albeit not enough to keep his story a total secret too. Of course, it wasn't like Doreen didn't know who she was talking about either way. "I can….imagine what that must be like," Doreen responded, hoping that her emotions weren't giving her away. "Me and my son got left by a real ass ourselves a long time ago."

"Does your son hold you responsible for that? Is that why he didn't invite you here until now?" Annie asked, getting ready to unknowingly be furious at Jeff again.

"No, we're much closer than I made us sound. In fact, all we had was each other until he left home, and he still looks up to me even now. He was just ashamed to admit he came here and to admit….how he got here. But he's starting to open up more now, and I know he truly loves this place deep down. From what I understand, a lot of ordeals and people here have helped him become better," Doreen reflected before she stopped herself from giving too much more away.

"That's great….Greendale really does have that effect on people," Annie reflected with more happiness this time. "That's why I hate my parents and kind of love them for what they did. If they didn't cut me off, I'd probably be in some Ivy League school and have nothing in my life other than books. But because I'm here instead, I've become so much more than what I used to be, in so many ways. I even have friends now, and a real substitute family!"

"Like that friend with the deadbeat dad?" Doreen asked pointedly.

"Yeah, him," Annie confirmed, unsure of whether talking about Jeff would further help her mood. But she could give her new friend a positive spin on him to start off. "He didn't think being at Greendale was a good thing at first too, just like your son." To her credit, Doreen avoided making any sounds or facial movements at Annie's unintentional irony. "He still won't admit out loud he loves it here either, but I know he does. I know a lot of things about him that others can't see….or that he doesn't want others to see."

"Is that so?" Doreen asked with more visible interest. "Well, I'd imagine someone like that isn't good at being transparent. At least not with people who are special to him."

Doreen couldn't help but smile at her statement, remembering how even when Jeff was a lawyer and at the peak of his lying abilities, he could still barely put one over on her. She hoped inwardly that it wasn't why he visited less and less over the years – it certainly would explain why he visited less from summer 2009 to this past Christmas.

But Jeff had started telling her about his recent exploits now – confessions that inevitably steered to a girl named Annie Edison in some shape or form. Yet now that Doreen was finally meeting her – and saw that she shared her seeing-right-through Jeff super power – she was starting to understand Jeff's way of thinking. Especially when she saw Annie struggling to contain an animated movie-esque smile because of her little hint.

"I do like to think that….sometimes it's more complicated than I'd like, though," Annie went on as her smile started fading. "I know I mean something to him, but…." she trailed off before she frowned and tried to shake it off. "No, that's not my big problem today. I should save that for another day, and not dump it on a stranger I've bothered enough already."

As much as her bench-mate had been patient and helpful with her so far, Annie didn't want to try her patience, and a few Jeff-rants would probably do just that. "You can stop me whenever you want, ma'am. If I still had a mom, I'd be bothering her with this stuff instead. I probably wouldn't get anywhere, since she wasn't good with my emotions….or other stuff that didn't help me get into Princeton. I was all she had after the divorce, but she still barely gave me any real support or help!" Well, at least she was off Jeff topics right now.

"I tended to go the opposite way with my boy," Doreen chimed in. "I praised him and built his ego up for everything he did, and it worked in a way. It gave him the confidence he needed to get past my divorce, find some self-esteem and make his way in the world. I have realized some flaws in that strategy over the last few years, however."

"Well, trust me, the other way doesn't work that better," Annie reassured. "My mother went one extreme, you went the other, and it resulted in two pretty extreme kids. I'm still extreme and high strung even now, but I'm learning to get myself under control. It sounds like your son is doing it too. Maybe that means our mothers didn't screw us up _that _bad – not that you did or didn't do that, I mean!" she tried to backtrack.

"It's all right, I know I made mistakes," Doreen admitted. "I suppose I was just so desperate to keep my son close to me. He was all I had, and if I let him be miserable and hate himself, I knew I'd lose him too. So I made him think he could do no wrong at anything, and he really couldn't for the most part. Yet he still became someone that….wasn't always honest. And who didn't return my calls after New Years either."

Doreen didn't intend to start her own pity party, but if she was going to have one of those today, this would be the best place to do it. "We didn't have a big falling out and I know he still loves me. But I can't help but wonder how things would be if I did things differently. He's getting better, but he's still more screwed up than I realized. And if it wasn't for this school…..my mistakes might not have been fixed before it was too late."

Although she was still talking to a total stranger, Annie still felt the need to place a hand on her arm and try to be comforting. While she didn't know this woman and was only getting one side of this story, Annie still felt compelled, almost by instinct, to let her know that she wasn't as bad as she made herself look.

"You shouldn't look at it that way, ma'am. The important thing is that your son is getting better….although it sounds like anything would be an improvement." This statement certainly made Doreen chuckle for more than a few reasons. But Annie was still trying to be serious. "Maybe you made mistakes, but there aren't many mistakes that can't be fixed, if there are any. And I don't think anyone's beyond redemption either, and it certainly doesn't sound like you two are to me. You know you can do better and it sounds like he's seeing it too, and in the end I think that's all that matters."

So Jeff's stories about Annie's unbreaking, unwavering faith in people were true after all. He certainly painted a love-hate picture of it to Doreen sometimes, yet in person it was certainly much easier to love. Or maybe it just helped that Doreen didn't have Jeff's hang-ups over loving it.

"Maybe he isn't completely gone. I mean, he might think he's better than everyone most of the time, but there are other times where he's pretty self-loathing. Or at least he doesn't think he's earned the right to….do certain things. Even with his progress and all his trying so far, he doesn't think he's ready yet. He's kind of a split personality that way," Doreen very carefully explained.

"Well, maybe he wants to fix that now," Annie proposed. "If he's already changed therapists and he's reaching out to you, he must be close to being whole again. It sounds like he's making good progress so far."

"You really believe all people are capable of change, don't you?" Doreen inquired.

"I have to. I make my friends think I'm naïve and stupid for it sometimes, but I have to believe it anyway. I mean, I'm the living proof! I changed almost everything about myself after rehab, no matter how impossible it looked! If I didn't believe that I could change and be a better, different person, I….I don't know if I'd even be alive today. Or if I was, I'd be someone I really don't want to be. But I made myself better against all odds, so I will _never_ believe it's impossible for anyone! Especially people that aren't more of a lost cause than I was….no matter how much they tell themselves or try to tell me that they are."

Annie wished she didn't add that little bit of Jeff angst at the end, although she probably hadn't given that much away to her new friend. Nevertheless, now she was the one putting a reassuring hand on Annie's arm. "It sounds like your friends are lucky to have someone with that much faith in them. I showed a lot of faith in my son, but it was somewhat unhealthy…..yours sounds just about right, however. That kind of loyalty probably means more to someone than mine."

"I don't know about that…." Annie muttered as her mood turned bashful. "I mean, I don't have to go _that _overboard with my faith these days. They do pretty well by themselves now, despite the odd week-long relapse or two. We really make each other grow and change equally. Even if it isn't as drastic as it could be sometimes, it's still something to be proud of."

"And you're proud of all your friends?" Doreen asked without hinting how she was asking about one specific friend.

"I am….I really am. Just like I know they're proud of me deep down too," Annie exclaimed. "We threaten to break up once a month or so, but we stay together anyway. They are still my substitute family….I could never cut them off no matter what they do."

"Because you always have faith in them no matter what they do," Doreen finished for Annie.

"Yeah, I do. I shouldn't sometimes, but they always seem to reward it in some way. That's much more than my parents ever did. Because of my personal beliefs and all, I still have to hope someday that they'll take me back, although it probably won't happen. But I know for sure that somehow, someway, my friends will always take me back and vice versa," Annie reflected.

"All of them?" Doreen double checked, and Annie just nodded yes with a brighter smile. This made Doreen light up a little as well, for reasons Annie still couldn't guess. "Deep down, I always knew that my son was like that, too. He's usually rewarded my faith in him….and even though I'm finding out more sordid things about him these days, he's still making me proud even now. More than ever before, all things considered."

"So I guess we don't have _that_ much to complain about," Annie came to understand.

"In the big picture, not really," Doreen confirmed. "Perhaps I have kept him waiting long enough today. Maybe you've kept your family waiting too."

"I probably have…" Annie understood. "Who knows what messes they're getting into with their families right now? It's probably hilarious or something they'll need help with. Or both, with my luck."

"I suppose we should both test our luck, then," Doreen offered as she got up from the bench. "I hope you're as lucky as I am…." she pretended to trail off. "Oh my, with all the things we said, I forgot we didn't say our names too!" she exclaimed, pretending that she didn't know Annie's name for just a little while longer.

"Oh, that is pretty glaring," Annie said with some embarrassment. "Better take care of that, then….I'm Annie." she informed as she offered her hand and a smile.

"I'm Doreen," Doreen answered back, still keeping her last name a secret to see if Annie could figure it out on her own now.

"Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Doreen," Annie stated as she shook her hand. But as she did, she began to wonder why that name sounded a little familiar. Then when she remembered where she had heard about that name before, a lot more finally fell into place.

There were a lot of little hints and subtle words that should have made a genius like Annie figure out who her new friend was. Yet she was too focused on her problems, and those of her new friend, to do a proper analysis. However, when she remembered where she had heard the name Doreen before, every one of those hints and clues snapped right into place at last.

The son who switched therapists, didn't call his mother after New Years, was becoming a better person at Greendale after trying to keep going there a secret, was constantly told he was the best at everything, who came from a broken home, who went back and forth between loving and hating himself, and who never had any family visit him on Family Day…..it was….and so this woman was….

Annie's jaw dropped and then froze right in place with the rest of her body. Yet Doreen was just smiling a knowing, very familiar kind of smirk, instead of being scared off by Annie's comical shock. Once Annie realized how she had seen that kind of smirk almost every day – and realized where she recognized the kind of facial features that Doreen had – she literally jumped backwards and screamed as if she was seeing a ghost.

"You, you, you're, you're…." was all Annie could stammer out for a while as Doreen just kept smiling. "Mrs. Winger….gah, no, it's _Ms._ Winger, I knew that, I knew that! I know so many things and yet I didn't know…." Annie trailed off again before another realization came to her. "Jeff's the ass son?"

Annie barely had time to be embarrassed over calling Jeff an ass in front of his mother. That was because in her rush to avoid looking at Doreen, she saw that the ass son himself was now right nearby.

And Jeff looked every bit as stunned to see this scene as Annie probably looked right now. In fact, he didn't even have a remark about Annie calling him an ass son – that was how overwhelmed he was right now.

Yet the only one that still looked human and somewhat sane in this group was Doreen Winger, as she walked up to greet her slack-jawed son.

"Hello, dear, I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Doreen said although it was unclear if Jeff could hear anything right now. "I made it here on time, but I saw Annie sitting by herself and looking upset. So I wanted to see if I could help her feel better….I'm sure you understand."

"I didn't know it was her, I swear!" Annie suddenly found herself blurting out. She was surprised she could speak English again so soon, but she felt like she had to say something to Jeff before he got the wrong idea. She had no idea what the wrong idea really was here, but Jeff couldn't figure it out first. "She didn't tell me it was her, so you can't hold what I said against me! I called some hypothetical son an ass, not you, and…..wait a minute."

Annie was surprised that her brain was working normally this quickly, as it was pointing out a few more missing pieces to this story. "Jeff, why didn't you tell me your mom was coming in the first place? I, I mean, why didn't you tell the group?" she corrected, since there wasn't a reason he would have to tell her above the group. No reason in reality, anyway.

Even though Annie was regrouping, Jeff still looked too stuck in traction to do anything – which was rare enough to be hilarious in any other situation. Yet while Jeff was actually searching for words for once, Doreen stepped in to translate. "I think I understand, Annie. He didn't tell me or any other Winger about Greendale or Family Day for two years. Now that he finally let me know and invited me here, he didn't want to be ribbed about it from his friends and get more nervous about it. Or he didn't want to say something in case he chickened out at the end. Do I have some of that right, dear?"

Dear God, she really did see through Jeff even better than Annie did. Annie didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified – impressified would probably work. After Jeff nodded and indicated that Doreen was right, Annie backtracked and realized another troubling fact. "Wait, you knew who I was the entire time, Ms. Winger?" she asked incredulously.

"Like I said, my son has been opening up to me more about his life here. That includes his friends in the study group. I got enough of a picture about you to recognize you right away.…the friend of his I was most anxious to meet," Doreen confessed.

"Oh dear God…..I, I, I'm sorry for…whatever I did to disappoint you," Annie rambled. She didn't know exactly what she had to apologize for, but after calling Jeff an ass without knowing it, butting into Doreen's business and sharing some embarrassing things about herself, she felt it had to be for something.

"There's nothing to apologize for. You were kind, considerate, insightful, exceedingly sweet and extremely well mannered…..exactly as Jeff made you out to be." It took every bit of will for Annie not to freak out and over think the end of that statement in front of Jeff's mother. If the effort was too obvious, Doreen didn't point it out as she went on. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, but I figured you'd be more comfortable opening up before you knew who I was. It's not like I lied, since every single thing I told you was the complete truth….I just left the names out."

Dear God, she really was Jeff's mother. Loopholes and legal semantics and all.

But if the son she was talking about to Annie this whole time was Jeff, and all her stories were the truth…. "Jeff, did you really change therapists?" she asked although Jeff hadn't been capable of talking yet.

"I said I would after Christmas, didn't I?" Jeff actually spoke up, albeit without much flare.

"Yeah, you said that, but I didn't think you were serious….not like this," Annie explained at the risk of sounding insensitive.

"Well, after a semester where you kill someone and sing in Glee club, you know you've hit rock bottom. If I'm going to pay someone to rub it in every week, I want my money's worth. And my money's worth over the last several weeks has led to….this, apparently," Jeff noted.

Annie then went closer to Jeff as Doreen stepped back to let them carry on. "So it's true? You've really gone to a new therapist and he….really made you reach out to your mom? Made you tell her about your fake diploma and Greendale and us and everything?" Annie double checked.

"I think you got a good idea of that well before I got here," Jeff replied.

"But I told you I didn't know it was her! She kept that from me and talked about her son as if it wasn't you! She tricked me like…." Annie didn't need to finish that out loud, since both she and Jeff knew that Doreen had used some very Jeff Winger-esque trickery on her. Trickery that hid how she already knew all about Annie, all about Jeff's connection to her and the study group, and about….

"So what did she say about me with all her tricks? It was enough to make you call me an ass, that much I know," Jeff asked. But Annie's thoughts were elsewhere at the moment.

If Jeff really was in therapy and making this much progress, as Doreen said...then those things Doreen said about him not feeling good enough for "certain things" and trying to be anyway took on a whole new meaning. If those certain things were what she thought they might be….and if Doreen already knew that Annie was special to Jeff, even before they talked….the possibilities were….

Well, the possibilities were probably making her grin too much for Jeff not to be suspicious.

But Annie suddenly remembered how Jeff never said anything about new therapy in the last two months, or about getting closer to his mother. He didn't even give any heads up that Doreen would be here today, and Annie had to find out in a little game from Doreen herself. Either he was still too shy or embarrassed to talk about this in public, or he didn't want to jinx it….or he wanted it to be a surprise if he made progress in….other areas later.

Either way, if Jeff really was doing this great without talking about it, Annie certainly didn't feel like jinxing it herself. This meant not asking why and how Jeff said so many sweet things about Annie to Doreen, asking whether he talked about them to his new therapist – or asking why Doreen was most anxious to meet Annie even before she found her today. This meant she would have to give Jeff a non-suspicious answer to his previous question.

"Um, there was nothing specific about you, really. I mean, she couldn't have been too obvious that it was you, or I'd have figured it out much earlier, right?" Annie argued, still a bit guilty that she didn't figure it out earlier. Yet Jeff would certainly believe that she could have under normal circumstances. "We mainly talked about me and how Family Day was screwing me up. You can imagine how that took up a pretty long time."

"Are you okay about that now? I know I should have noticed that you _and _Mom hadn't shown up before I came out here," Jeff chided himself.

"You didn't have to notice me, really. Your mother helped me out, like Wingers always seem to do. I'm glad you decided not to hide her from us anymore," Annie smiled sweetly.

"Well, she does have her moments, like most Wingers seem to have," Jeff admitted.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Doreen strategically chimed in to remind them that she was still here. "And thank you for your own kind words, Annie. I know that I owe you for much more than that as well."

Annie felt fairly certain that Doreen really thanked her for all she did with Jeff – and for him – in the last two years. If Jeff knew that too, and he probably did, he didn't look like he wanted to comment – and for once Annie was glad that he wanted to brush through something. The embarrassment was still a little too great; plus it seemed she still had to get through several more hours with Doreen anyway.

"Well, I think my Family Day jitters are ruined, so would you both like to escort me inside?" Doreen requested. Jeff was certainly in no position to turn her down, and Annie wasn't going to weasel out of it either. So Jeff went to Doreen's left and Annie went to her right as they walked back towards the school.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Mom? I'm not asking because I'm nervous, so let's drop that right now," Jeff declared as Annie wished she wasn't too far away to playfully slap his shoulder. "I mean, after all the waiting and buildup for you to get here, I don't see how it'll live up to the hype now. It seems like Annie set the bar pretty high already."

"I'm sure at least a few things will set it higher, dear. After hearing so much about Annie, I doubted she could live up to the hype too. But she is indeed just as you described her and more….it's a wonder she's still single, actually. So if she could live up to all that, I'm sure Britta and Abed and Dean Pelton can do it too."

Doreen ignored how Jeff and Annie turned red at the end of the 'still single' line. Since she kept talking, it gave Jeff an excuse to joke about the others to deflect the issue, as Doreen figured. But Annie tuned it out, since she was lost in thought one more time.

If she didn't know better, and there were times when even she didn't, she'd think that Doreen was actually pushing Jeff to get together with her. It was….it was actually a very Mom thing to do.

Annie hadn't seen Mom behavior up close for years, so it was one of the few things she didn't know everything about. Yet she still knew from reputation – and Abed's TV shows – that Moms tended to subtly push their kids into dating girls they approved of. On TV, it was usually to stop their kids from dating their true loves, but Doreen didn't seem like an evil TV mom so far.

In fact, Doreen actually seemed to approve of Annie. She wasn't even dating Jeff yet, and yet she might have won his mother's approval before Annie even knew who she was. She overcame one of the biggest relationship obstacles imaginable before she even got into a relationship. But if Jeff really was fixing himself in therapy and working towards…..deserving certain things, that might change after all.

At that, Annie willed herself not to get carried away, as she had done so many times. Yet one of the reasons she did that in the past was that there was no one to hold her back. She could never come to anyone about her Jeff problems, especially not Britta or Shirley or Jeff himself. And without any family to rely on either, she had no one at all to keep her in check and make sure she kept a level head.

But for the first time in too many years, Annie had just talked to a real mother figure – and one that knew Jeff better than anyone else. Someone that seemed to like her, approve of her influence on Jeff and could give him a few tips on how to handle him.

Again, Annie didn't want to get carried away. But the mere prospect of knowing a mother figure, a potential source for help on Jeff, and someone who gave her hope about Jeff…..that already made this the best Greendale Family Day ever.

Plus there was no way Doreen was leaving without telling Annie every baby/childhood story she had on Jeff. The others would probably ask for that too, but since Doreen owed Annie already, maybe she'd give her the really cute/embarrassing stories that she could tease Jeff on later.

With that, Annie snapped out of her little world that was now a little brighter than it was a half-hour ago. By that time they were at the door to the school, and Jeff held it for his two favorite women while uttering "Miladies."

Okay, so having to share her special Jeff nickname with her mother was a little creepy. If this turned into one of Britta's Oedipal things, that might knock this family day down a tiny peg after all.


End file.
